


Rusted Cage

by soupsalad



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: I dont know how to tag, Multi, im sure there are more characters to tag but they aint as prominent, it'll be great, its kinda dark i dont know how to tag this, later chapters have a little torture of an unfortunate kid but not really, lots of angry coursers to come as well, torture???? in the sense that its prolonged suffering just a finger injury, vault tec dlc spoilers too, x6 and x9 become bros
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-15
Updated: 2016-11-05
Packaged: 2018-08-15 03:02:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,947
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8039914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soupsalad/pseuds/soupsalad
Summary: The institute has been destroyed and the commonwealth is finally safe from those who lurked in the shadows, those who stole from them for far to long. Now that the commonwealth is safe though, are those left over from the destruction in good hands? X6-88 and X9-27 find themselves together in the unforgiving wasteland and this time for good with an abandoned child who believes himself to be the former directors son. Will they be able to help those lost recover after the destruction of mankinds only hope for the future? Or will the commonwealth, in all its destructiveness, finish the job that the sole survivor began.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have never seen anything quite like this written. each story of X6-88 away from the institute in some way or another has him betraying the institute in one way or another or something along those lines. I wanted to see if there was a way to go about stuff that did not involve that as heavy. I hope others can enjoy my attempts.

It was not too unusual for two units to relay in at the same time, it happened from time to time when they were working efficiently.

  
X9 stood, running his hand through his hair trying to make it neat after an especially grizzly encounter with raiders. It had been quite a while since he had had it cut after all. It was uneven, both sides of his head covered in hair too short to tie back but too long to keep from blowing into his eyes in the commonwealth wind. Combine that with the annoyingly long ponytail between both of these two under grown sides he was struggling greatly with keeping his appearance together. Though he had his reasons for not cutting it just yet. These of course, he had disclosed to no one.  
X6 on the other hand was pulling his gloves back on. They were starting to wear and he knew he would need a replacement soon.

  
He had been spending so much time with father’s mother and had not had much time to return to replace them because of her horribly demanding schedule. Of course he had no qualms with her constant need to be fighting but felt they were getting too little institute work done for his taste. She would rather be doing busy work and request for those living within a few of the settlements she had erected it seemed, and though he did not understand why she insisted on risking her life for those on the surface and ignoring those who needed her below, he couldn’t say she was up to anything particularly atrocious.

  
He was glad and a bit surprised when she let him go finally. He had been told to return to a settlement that had been isolated for quite a long time, her reasoning being that she knew he was not much for conversation. Considerate he supposed, but part of him did wish he could have been left with at least one other person for the sake of being safe against any unexpected ambush that could fall upon him in a worst case scenario.

  
It was during his time alone that he knew that his gloves were at their breaking point and needed to be swapped out for better ones. He left, expecting to be in and out quickly then back where he was told to go before his leader returned.

  
That was exactly what he was planning to do until he heard the screaming.

  
“Huh?” The first voice he hears is X9’s barely audible over the screaming child who had ran to them clinging to x6 like his life depended on it. His eyes were wet with tears, his face red from sobbing for what seemed like forever.

  
Please get me out of here! The building is going to blow up!” The child was the director’s side project, built to look like him in his younger years. That much X6 knew from his interactions with father’s parent.

  
He had no idea how he felt about the kid, it was strange but was he entirely against the idea of him existing? The future director seemed like she was. He never thought about him long enough to figure out if he agreed with her feelings about him. Still that was not important, with him screaming like he was his mind was on one thing and he had no clue why. Perhaps because he looked like a child he felt the urge to get him to safety.

  
“What the hell,” X9 exclaims looking around, bodies of synths of every generation were littered about further ahead. Distant screaming and panicked arguing filled the two courser’s ears. It was as if all hell had broken loose within their home while they were away.

  
“You,” X6 calls to X9 lifting the young boy in his arms. He was moving without thinking, his word so rushed he was sure he might have stuttered and he scolded himself internally for the hang up that may or may not have happened. “Relay out, meet me at polymer labs.” X6 shouts thinking fast with the smaller unit in his arms clinging to his neck as he teleports out.

  
“But what about-“ X9 stops, looking back with widened eyes in the direction of the elevators. There were others inside and he knew that well. He wanted to find out what was happening, why there were so many dead.

  
“What the hell is happening here?” He asks aloud before leaving.

* * *

The three of them stand, Shaun clinging still to X6 while the other courser lingered close.

  
“What happened in there Shaun?” Referring to him this way felt strange, he knew the boy was a synth like himself. It was as strange as talking to Eve. Units with names was a strange concept in general to him and quite unnecessary in his opinion. Of course he had never voiced this thought. “Why is ever-“ X9 begins but finds himself drowned out by the near deafening explosion that was far too close for comfort.

  
The ground shakes beneath them, knocking all them off their feet. Shaun shrieks, tears rolling down his cheeks as he held on even tighter to the other unit who had just barely avoided letting his head hit the concrete ground by rolling over to his side. X6 exhales sharply, his mind telling him that death would probably have taken him had he not rolled but he knew better than that. He could take far more that a hit to the head. Taking a hit just because he could however would make him sloppy.  
X6 sits up quickly followed by x9 who rolls to sit on his knees.

  
All three of them watch in horror as smoke fills the sky, the large fiery explosion a bit away in sight. The area near the blast was hot, their heavy leather uniforms sweltering under the heat of the nearby destruction would have been near unbearable for any other units. It was only a mild discomfort and a shocking sudden source of terror for the two coursers who were beginning to shout.

  
“What the hell was that?!” X9 shouts already knowing very well what it had been. Shaun had mentioned it enough already, there was no denying that the source of the blast was the institute. He rises from his knees to his feet stumbling forward to get a closer look.

  
“What the hell..?” X6 says quietly, grey eyes now visible from behind fallen sun glasses were wide and looking back and forth between his group and the gray clouds ahead. This had to be some sort of mistake, something he could fix or something that would fix itself in due time. Something the scientists could fix. This could not be complete destruction of what he was hoping was not the institute. X6 stands and walks ahead of the other courser hoping that his eyes were deceiving him, his nose, every one of his senses. As illogical as it was to believe, he wanted his ridiculous assumption to be true.

  
“She blew it all up! She blew up the institute! She was gonna leave me!” Shaun shouts as X9 walks to stand next to X6 who held the boy in his arms still. His heart was beating fast in his chest, his imagination getting to him, a vivid picture of burning alive was fermenting in the back of his mind and the thought terrified him to no end. It was hard to believe for the child that it had not happened. He was just a child, it’s what scientist told him all the time. Surely this was not something he should have had to even consider accepting as just a kid. Dying in an explosion, wondering if death would be slow and agonizing in a fire or instantaneous and painful. Maybe painless? That was what he had been hoping for before the two units had arrived.

  
The two coursers are silent, both staring dumbfounded at the explosion. Both mouths hanging open but no words coming to lips that looked like they had quite a bit to say.

  
“Who..? Who did that?” X9 asks quietly unable to pull his eyes away.

  
“My mom, she was going to kill me.” Shaun weeps and X9 places a hand on the boy’s shoulder, not able to pull his attention form the destruction in the distance.

  
“Oh my god…” X9 says to no one in particular letting the child go and shaking his head. This was still just as unbelievable as it had been minutes ago, seconds even. He like x6 was hoping this was some sort of mistake.

  
“This can’t be happening right now.” X6 mumbles staring still at the damage. He speaks as though this were some minor problem hoping it was. He knew however just how wrong he was. It had only been a day or two since he had last seen the director’s mother, to find out she had done this much now, her of all people the woman he respected more than anyone else. It was hard to believe.

  
“Oh my god.” X9 repeats, covers his face with his hand, and groans. He grimaces, trying to hold back tears when so close to another unit still. “Oh my god.” They were the only words that came to mind at a time like this.

* * *

The walk from polymer labs had been long and quiet, all three units too shocked to offer anything of actual substance to any conversation.

  
Shaun held tightly to X9’s hand, not wanting to fall behind the quick walking courser units. They seemed to walk without taking his height and short legs into consideration. He could barely keep up and found himself horrifyingly close to being lost before hanging on to the units arm.

  
“What going to happen now?” Shaun asks softly, not feeling too well and quite scared of the expressions worn by the two men he had found himself stuck with.

  
“Don’t ask questions like that.” X6 spits quickly, irritated being an understatement for how exactly this situation was making him feel. That was his question, why wou7ld he of all people have an answer?

  
“But when are we-“ X9 looks down at him, his glare warning the child silently to stop his pestering.

  
“…I’m sorry.” Shaun says tightening his grip on X9s hand, guilty and even more afraid of the future than he had been before.  
More Silence.

  
“X6-88.” X9 begins but looks away when x6’s glare reaches him.

  
“Fine, later then.” X9 mumbles and continues on.

  
“Mister x9,” Shaun says pulling the man’s hand to get his attention. “Are we going to be alright?” He asks quietly trying to be sure X6 did not hear him. This man was far nicer in Shaun’s opinion, very personable and seemed to have a far more level head than the other unit following them.

  
“I am not sure.” He answers immediately, his attention on x6. The man had quite the reputation. He was a regarded as a wonderful example of what an institute courser should have been. Cool and collected, entirely loyal to his creators, a unit who carried out his duties and nothing more it seemed. There was once a time where x9 envied him quite a bit for his prowess in the field they both shared roles in.

  
He worried that a change like this may have been too much for him all at once. He himself as a unit who had not always been the most dedicated to his duty or the institute as a whole could barely cope with the knowledge he had, his mind on everything but the destruction he had just barely escaped.

  
“What do you mean? Where are we going? Are we gonna stay somewhere?”

  
X9 frowns, brows furrowed, annoyed by the onslaught of questions but realizing he was the only one who would answer the boy’s questions calmly. He doubted x6 had anything close to civil to say at the moment.

  
“Listen. Something devastating has just happened. No one knows what to do. All your questions will be answered in due time, alright?” He was annoyed, not as visibly as X6 but the feeling was there regardless. He couldn’t even figure out why he had decided to give this boy any sort of answer. He was not obligated to speak to him and he did not have to do it anywhere near as kindly as he was.

  
“There’s a building up ahead.” X6 announces loudly, getting the attention of the other two. X6 pointed ahead at a building with a slightly ajar door.

  
“There’s probably someone inside.” X9 says stopping and moving Shaun to stand behind him.  
“I’ll keep guard here, go see.”

  
X6 nods and runs off leaving the other two units to themselves.

  
"...hmmm.” X9 watches x6 disappear into the building, Shaun’s grip on his hand still tight.  
“Mister X9,”

  
“Its just x9, what is it?” He sighs. His patience was running thin. He didn’t want to keep answering questions, he had far too many of his own to even think about someone else’s.

  
“Are you ok? You’re squeezing my hand really hard.” The boy informs him and x9 lets go.

  
“I did not notice.” He says cracking his knuckles for what felt like the first time in a very long while.

  
“Hey!” The two of them looked to see x6 waving for them to come join him. “Its clear.”

* * *

Silence was becoming commonplace between the three of them. Both coursers had taken off their jackets, X9 going an extra step further removing one of his shirts as well for Shaun to roll up and use as a pillow. The boy slept on one jacket using the other as a blanket. Uncomfortable but found it better than sleeping on the bare broken tile floor.

  
It was dark, the three of them sitting in the abandoned convenience store barely able to see their own hands in front of their faces let alone each other. Neither courser really minded that much. There was nothing important to look at unless one thought that confusion and despair on the others face was something worth viewing.

  
“…X6.” He was going to ask him now, enough time had passed he was sure. X9 wanted to know how the other was holding up.  
“…What?” X6 answers in a voice far softer than the other courser had anticipated. He sounded defeated, tired, and on the edge of snapping on him all at once. He sat cross legged on the floor, back to a checkout counter with a box of snack cakes sitting in his lap. He had found them when he ran ahead and despite his current misery was thankful he had found them.

  
For a while X9 says nothing, wanting to word his question right.

  
“Will you be…” He stops there, the question was already a failure. “For right now, in this moment…how are you holding up?”

  
And for a while there’s no reply, just the sound of hands inside a box followed by the box being set down.

  
“What’s your designation?” and the question comes as a surprise to X9. Did he really not know?

  
“X9-27, why? That doesn’t answer my question.”

  
“You were the one who was friends with Z2-47, right?”

  
X9 grimaces, hearing that now was not what he would call pleasant. The name was not one he wanted to be thinking about right now. The other unit’s death was still fresh in his mind and the institute’s destruction even fresher. Both of these thoughts together were bringing up feelings he was not ready at the moment to address.

  
“Yes,” He lies. He did not hate Z2-47, if anything his feelings for the unit had spiraled far out of control long ago and couldn’t possibly be called friendship after that.

  
“We were.” He could have told him then what they had been. There was no more institute to reprimand him for his inexcusable deficiency, he had no reason to hide the truth other than finding it hard to kill old habit so easily in such a short amount of time. Even if he were to explain it now what good would it do other than risk angering his traveling companion. There was no telling how someone so dedicated to the institute’s ways of operation would respond.

  
“How is this relevant?”

  
“It’s not, I just didn’t know who you were.” X6 tells him. He had never taken much time to learn the designations of units he had not worked with. It didn’t matter and he was not going to go out of his way to do so if it was not necessary.

  
“I’m…” He couldn’t say he was fine, but he wasn’t in so much distress that he couldn’t call himself fully functional.

  
“I am…shocked honestly.” The word felt like a strange way to describe himself. Shocked. He felt the same way he did at the crater, his eyes burning and throat tight hoping that all of what he was seeing was something fake, something that could be recovered from easily and things would be back to normal in a few days. He knew it was untrue however and that only made the situation so much worst.

  
“This is too much to take in.”

  
X9 nods understanding exactly what he meant.

  
“What are we supposed to do? What purpose do we serve in a world without those who have created us?”

  
It was a question X9 had asked himself as well on the way here, X9 knew exactly where he was coming from. What else was there left for them to do now? They had one thing within the institute that many others in the commonwealth did not. A purpose and having lost that suddenly was no less that terrifyingly confusing.

  
“I do not know.” He replies honestly and X6 sighs. If he had been expecting something he was probably severely disappointed. He could not see the others face to judge.

  
“The child, the director’s project. It keeps asking what we plan to do. What are we supposed to do?” X6 inquires and x9 can hear in his voice that he is expecting an answer. He shrugs but then remembers that x6 could not see him do so.

  
“I wish I could give you an answer but it would appear that I am just as lost as you are.”  
X6 sighs. “Yeah…”

  
The room grew quiet and remained that way until the sound of cardboard and plastic filled the darkness again.  
“…there are more boxes in the back if you want some X9.” X6 tells him, bitter disappointment all too apparent.  
“I’ll keep it in mind.”

  
Silence.

* * *

The morning sun is what shakes Shaun out of his sleep, the smell of ash and blood on the coat thrown over him was strong enough to make him grimace.

  
“Uh,” He sits up, his body sore from his uncomfortable sleeping conditions.

  
The two coursers were sitting exactly where they had been the night before, expressionless and unmoving. Neither had slept, it wasn't necessary so doing so was pointless.

  
“Good morning.” Shaun announces softly not wanting to disturb the two of them, the dread on their faces a good enough reason not to. He had seen many coursers during his time within institute walls, all of them stone faced and seemingly as emotionless as he had heard people say they were. These two however looked nothing like the ones he remembered. They seemed far more than sad, but he couldn’t quite think of a good word to use for what exactly it was he was seeing.

  
“really really sad.” Shaun thinks to himself.

  
X9 nods however, the boy’s voice snapping him out of his thoughts.

  
“Likewise.” He replies and pulls himself off the floor as though the boy's words had sprung him back to life.

  
“How are you Shaun?” He asks trying to get his mind off z2, someone he had been trying his hardest to stop thinking about before X6 spoke up about him. All night he sat in that spot, reliving his final moments with him in his head. It was agonizing and quite frankly a distraction he did not need at the moment. A conversation is just what he needed to get his mind off of it.

  
“I’m fine,”

  
“Cake in the back.” X6 says, his sudden joining into the conversation earning him a look from both X9 and Shaun.

  
Thank you, I’ll go get it.” He runs off and then stops to turn around. “Mister X9, do you want any?”

  
And x9 considers it but decides to save them for another time. “I’m fine, really. Let’s just take a few.” He tells him and the boy nods.

  
X9 watches him go until he is out of sight. When the boy is gone he crosses his arms and turns his attention to x6.  
“Hey,”

  
X6 looks up, his glare heavy. “What is it?” And it was then that X9 could see that his eyes still burned with anger he had seen the night before on their way here.

  
“What do you want to do today?” X9 asks looking at the door to give him an idea of what he meant. If there was any time to part ways it was now and X9 would give him the chance to do so.

  
“I have somewhere I want to go myself, and I am going with or without you. I won’t force you to come with me so you should make up your mind now.” A conversation comes to mind when X9 tells him this, one that he had overheard in SRB. One about the unit that fathers parent had killed in a way she refused to disclose. They were not far away at all from where they said this encounter had happened.

  
“Where are you going?” X6 says standing up, stretching, and wiping crumbs from his uniform.

  
“Greentech Genetics.”

  
“Unit Z2-47 d-“

  
“Yes I know-“ Z2 had been killed there, he needed no reminder.

  
“There’s something I need there. Are you coming or not?”

  
Shaun walks back in balancing as many boxes of snack cakes as he can, the pile was so high it covered his face entirely, the boy was relying on looking around the stack to get back to them, many falling as he went. It was actually a bit shocking to find there were this many in one place.

  
Something going on?” He asks setting the boxes down on the counter behind X6.  
X6 looks to X9 trying to read his expression. X9 had to have a reason to go other than Z2-47 if he knew very well that the unit was dead.

  
Unless of course he was looking at this situation entirely wrong. This could have been some trip to go mourning. That was by far too unusual of an act to be considered normal for a courser unit as far as he was aware. Something this man could be reset for he was sure. It was proof he was attached, far too attached to the unit that had died on his mission. He himself could not understand exactly why it was a problem, if asked he could only direct you to a higher up and have them explain, but it was.  
“Well…?” X9 asks waiting for an answer.

  
He wanted to find out what this man’s defect was, if there was one at all like he was suspecting there was.  
“I’m in.”

  
“So were headed out?” Shaun asks and both units nod.

  
“So how are we going to carry all of these?” Shaun grabs a box and both look away. There would have to be a few loose ends tied up here before leaving apprently.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also i dont know if it needs to be pointed out but if anyone is unsure of who X9-27 is hes the courser from the quest "Operation Ticonderoga" so yep.

“What’s this place?”  Shaun rolls up the sleeves of white jumper and looks up at the building. It was oddly shaped, like two large cylinders in his large eyes. All minty green with rust in cracks and corners.

“Greentech Genetics.”X6 Answers simply with his eyes on X9.

X9’s expression was as solid as steel giving nothing away. He was poised, as though he were here for official business rather than any desire he had to be. X6 had deduced that this was to be an emotional nightmare for him, one that involved Z2-47 somehow and would leave him on edge. He was far too collected however and it confused him to no end. Was there something more to this trip than he was letting on?

“It’s a very green building I suppose.” Shaun observes and a small smile finds itself on x9s face. It fades however, very quickly, leaving him stone faced again.

“I suppose so. Let’s get inside.” X9 was the first to make his way up the stairs to the front door, pushing it open and looking around, the front hall dark and covered in garbage as he had expected.

“So, this is where unit-“ X6 begins but X9 holds up a hand and ducks low.

“Quiet. I heard something.”

The three of them duck down and for a long while remain in wait of whatever it was X9 heard to pass. Of course nothing ever came.

“…It was nothing.” X9 finally says standing back up. And making his way forward into the building.

“I am going to go and look around, if the two of you could remain here?” It sounded like a question but both knew for different reasons that it was an order.

“Yes sir!” Shaun answers and walks to stand beside X6 who said nothing in response. He only crossed his arms and looked away towards the collapsed stairway.

“Good, don’t give unit X6-88 trouble.” He says walking off with a shock baton now drawn. He had no idea what to expect inside. He makes his way through the torn up lobby and up a flight of stairs across the walkway overhead looking down at Shaun and X6 before entering the next room heading for the elevator to his right.

Standing downstairs X6 watched him until he was out of sight and then turned his attention to the kid tapping his back in lieu of the shoulder that was far too high for him to even consider touching.

“What is it?” His tone was not particularly amicable and the boy immediately regret his choice in approaching him. Still, he felt strange having not spoken to him since the destruction a day ago.

“Well I uh, was just wondering if you’re ok. You both looked really down earlier. You still do.”

“The institute has been destroyed, I am in the commonwealth. Do with that information what you will.” The man answers simply and walks away to go sit down leaving the kid to process what had just been said to him.

“…huh?” The way he said it was so matter of fact, so casually. Was he insinuating sadness or some sort of joy? Coursers were so hard to read he had no idea what to make of it.

“Well uh.. I…I hope you feel better soon. I’m going to go find Mister X9, if you don’t mind.”

X6 says nothing and crosses his arms sitting back in his chair. What the child did meant nothing to him. He had no obligation to care for him and was far more concerned with thoughts of X9 and the woman he could no longer call the future director.

“…goodbye.” Shaun says running off. He scurries up the stairs and makes his way towards the elevator he knew X9 had been heading for pushing the call button and hopping on when the thing arrived. He rides in silence looking around at the torn up insides of the elevator curiosity getting the best of him.

“I wonder,” He says reaching for the half way fallen off elevator button cover. If he had a screwdriver he could fix it maybe, but for the time being he would just have to leave it as it is.

“Ding,” he chimes as the bell on the elevator rings and opens. Standing alone is X9 with his back to the door.

“Mister X9?” Shaun says stepping off and walking to join X9. He was looking down at the floor, his expression still hard as it had been when he entered. He says nothing in response for a while, his focus on nothing in particular as far as Shaun could tell.

“Are you ok?” He says reaching to touch his arm. The unit tensed in his touch and finally acknowledged his presence with a sigh.

“There’s nothing here.” X9 admits aloud and turns to face the elevator.

“What were you looking for here? Did it have to do with your friend? Like Mister X6 said?” The scene he had walked in on was strange. He was calm as far as appearances went but something seemed off and it worried him. This person was the only who had been anywhere near decent to him so far. X6 was nice he was sure but so far he had been nothing but cold. This man held his trust.

“It’s nothing, I was looking for something specific. It is not here.” He couldn’t just tell the child he was looking for a body. Not only was it needlessly grim but the fact that he had not found it was good enough reason not to bring it up at all. Of excuse making and lying to hide the truth died hard. He wanted to give nothing of his relationship with the dead unit away even though there was no one left who could do anything about it to him.

“Oh, well, do you think It might be somewhere else inside?” the kid wanted to be helpful. He had realized quite some time ago that they had no reason to keep him around. He considered himself lucky that he was still alive at all. He had planned to try to survive alone when begging his mother to take him out of the building. His luck to have been taken by the two coursers was almost unreal.

“Already looked, it’s not here,” He says rolling his shoulders and making his way over to the elevator. This room was surely where z2 had been. The terminal he had been inspecting was linked to a heavy door and he knew that the runaway unit must have been hidden behind it.

The room gave him a strange feeling of comfort but a stronger feeling of hopelessness. There was not even a body to mourn, no uniform to collect, nothing to remind him of the unit he had loved.

“Let’s go.” He winces at the word. Loved. He wanted nothing more than some sort of closure on the unit’s disappearance. From where he had stood z2 had simply vanished, the institute acting as though he had never existed in the first place. At least seeing a body would have made it a bit more real that Z2 was indeed dead, that there was no chance to that perhaps he had simply wandered off or been captured, reset, thrown into the wasteland with no memory of the person he used to be.

“Are you ok?” Shaun say walking to join him at the elevator.

“Well…” He was not doing too horribly. He was disappointed yes and yesterday’s events still felt almost unreal.

“..I am alive.” It seemed like the best answer. He was alive, he had that going for him if nothing else.

“That doesn’t sound ok.”

“Perhaps not.” Perhaps even that was too grim.

The two meet X6 in the lobby, he stands at a terminal behind what used to be a front desk, looking through whatever it was the thing had to offer.

“X6,” X9 calls and the other looks up.

“Are we leaving?”

X9 nods and walks towards the exit. “I couldn’t find what I was looking for. There’s no more reason to stay here.” He says but part of him wants to linger, every bone in his body telling him to stay right where he was and mourn. This place felt in some strange way like home knowing how short a time ago it was that Z2 stood here.

“Where are we headed?” Shaun says taking X9’s hand in his as usual.

This is when X9 went silent again, brows furrowed and face growing pale. He had done all he wanted to do. He wanted nothing else and was now at a standstill.

X6 arches a brow from behind his sunglasses expecting an answer he was starting to get the feeling was not coming.

“Well?” X6 says stepping forward to join them.

“I don’t know. I just wanted to come here. I can’t just keep leading us you know.” He did not want to take that role, being a leader was easy when those in your command were gen 2 synths and all one needed was to command them during a mission. Deciding how to live in the commonwealth was not something he found himself ready for at all.

“Then what do you expect were going to do? Just stay here?” X6 asks stepping forward to stand closer to him, looking up at him trying to read the look in his eyes.

“If you want to, I’m not your leader. I only asked that you come with me here. Nothing more. I don’t know why you thought I would be the one to hand out orders. You’re far more suited for that job anyways, you traveled with the director.”

X9 scoffs. “That person is not the director. She is a traitor.”

X9 backs up, the way x6 stood before him, he was almost sure he was going to swing a fist at him at this rate.

“That is not the point. I do not know what to do.”

Now seeing a chance to cut in Shaun raises his hand to speak. “Why don’t we find my mom?”

And both units give him confused looks not sure what to make of his request but not turning it down just yet.

“Why do you say that?” X9 says stepping to the side out of X6’s way to tower over the child.

“Well she’s the one who destroyed the institute. So if we get her we can…?” He was not exactly sure what he expected them to do. Kill her maybe. They seemed mad enough to do it. If not then at least ask her why she did what she did. That seemed like something they might have wanted.

“We could kill her.” X6 says in a voice too dark for the boys liking. He knew it was probably what they were thinking but hearing it now was terrifying. He hated her, this much he knew was true but part of him still hoped that maybe if he were to see her again she would change her mind about him, she would take him for who he was and love him. He did not want to hate her and even deeper down he knew he did not hate her nearly as much as he should have.

“How are we supposed to find her?” X9 had to admit it was not the most worthwhile task but it was a task none the less.

“I know a few places she’s lived and about her house in diamond city.” X6 says with newfound determination. He had regret his time with her almost instantly the day the institute was destroyed. He had regret ever coming to admire her, opening up and admitting his feelings only to find out they meant nothing to her.  Still the time he spent with her now could be used to avenge all of those lost in that horrible attack. He knew some of the places she frequented, a few of her friends, her lover. If he were not so deep in thought he would have smirked at himself. He was going to be the one to tear her down for her crimes against humanity and it brought him elation like he had never felt before.

“Then let’s start there. Diamond city isn’t too far away from here. The walk should take a few hours if we move fast. We can search her house first.” X9 was not feeling particularly inspired. What would killing her really solve? If anything death was too merciful for someone like her, the wasteland was a horrible enough place already to live in. If there was any way to make her suffer it was to force her to live her life in this hellish place. Still, he had no better ideas and from the look on the other units face he had his mind set. Their hunt would begin with the director’s mother house, if they found it unused then perhaps they could call it a base of operations for the time being. If she happened to return when they were there even better. It would be a perfect place to start an ambush.

“The place is also very good for stocking up on ammunition, we should take advantage of the synth unit acting as mayor there too if he is still alive.” X6 was already planning in his head what he would do. He knew where Valentine’s office was. If the unit was there when he arrived he had quite the storm coming, if not then he could tear the place apart in search of any useful information. There was so much on his mind already, it was almost hard to keep track of all the ideas forming in his mind at once.

“Let’s get out of here, come on. The longer we waste time here the longer it will take to get this done.” He turns around, jacket whipping dramatically behind him as he walked quickly to the exit.

X9 followed behind a lot less enthusiastic with Shaun close behind.

“Mister X9?”

He no longer cared enough to correct him. If he wanted to say mister he was going to do it no matter what he said.

“Yes?”

“When we get to diamond city, do you think I could get a screwdriver?” If this place really wasn’t far away then he knew he wanted to come back.

X9 gives him a quizzical look before shrugging, following X6 out the door.

“I suppose.”

 


	3. Chapter 3

The walk had been going fine, or as fine as it could have been given the circumstances. The same silence that had hung over conversation with X6 before remained, X6 too deep in his own plans to pay any mind to the units behind him. At this point they were nothing more than the backup units to his plan for vengeance. He was tense, his body moving forward with such speed that X9 decided in an attempt to keep up to carry Shaun on his back.

  
“So you do understand where I’m coming from right?” Shaun says squirming a bit in an attempt to stay on X9’s back.

  
“You want to fix the elevator at Genentech Genetics and use it as a...?” The boy’s statement was not making sense to him. Children never made sense to him.

  
“A sort of backup plan if we don’t like it in diamond city. I can fix it and we can stay there! If I had my own tools I could do it.”

  
X9 doubted it, the building was far too big for one child alone to repair but he did not feel it was necessary to tell the kid that. Let him dream big if he wished.

  
“I suppose.” Is all he has to offer. He was ambitious to say the least and an ambitious attitude could keep him alive for a good long while.

  
Shaun smiles and makes plans to fix the elevator as fast as possible. He was excited and quite happy to be. He had not felt this way for what seemed like quite a while and was glad.

  
“What makes you think we will not like diamond city though?” X9 asks wanting to keep the silence to a minimum. Alone with ones thoughts was no way to spend a day.

  
“I don’t think we won’t like it, I just want to plan ahead so we all stay safe. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”

  
The words take X9 by surprise, his eyes growing wide and a small smile forms on his face. Compliments were quite sparsely delivered in his life and to have one flung upon him suddenly, he hadn't a clue what to say right off the bat.

 

“That is…” He stops to chuckle a bit, flattered and glad to hear it after how cold he assumed he had been treating the boy. “That is nice of you to say. Thank you.”

  
Up ahead x6 had stopped walking drawing the other unit’s attention.

  
“X9,” his tone grim, his voice sounding almost tremulous when he spoke. X9 quickly set Shaun down and made his way over.

  
“What is it?” X6 was looking down at what appeared to be a shoe. Stark white and painfully familiar.

  
“Institute personnel…” X9 says quietly, his mind jumping to the most horrible conclusions. People don’t just leave behind shoes, they lose them in fights or when running away. Both of these things very likely to end in death. The fact that they had not stopped to pick it up and put it back on was terrifying enough.

  
X6 stares for a while longer, eyes unblinking as he tried to decide what he would do.

  
“…We have to find them.” He had been so caught up in exacting revenge, it had not even occurred to him to be sure that every human and scientist was accounted for.  
Wordlessly X9 agrees and heads off Shaun quick to run and catch up.

  
“What’s going on?” The boy shouts hoping to get an answer but is ignored quite blatantly as both coursers split up to check the area around them. A bridge across the water was nearby and it was the way to diamond city. This was perhaps the direction the scientist may have been heading.

  
They both head off that way and are both disappointed when they see nothing but the second shoe sitting alone in the middle of the bridge next to a fallen super mutant. There were plenty of them littered about actually and the worst case scenario came to mind in all three synth units.

  
“They’re…” X6 begins, his face twisted up in disgust at the thought of the words about to come out of his mouth. “We should keep looking, but they’re probably. Dead.” He winces at the words not wanting to think about how unable to save them he had been. It was nothing short of shameful and he hated it.

  
They went off again, Shaun running behind them still, panting and trying to keep up with either of them at this point not wanting to be left behind.  
The run was long, across the bridge and into the buildings nearby, all of them shouting for anyone who may have survived.

  
“There’s no one answering.” Shaun says trying to catch his breath as each courser came to a stop to stand on either side of him. Both were horribly bothered by the situation and showed it on their face for once.

  
“There has to be someone. They can’t all just be gone. If they were dead we would have at least found the bodies.” X9 crosses his arms over his chest, his eyes narrowed and lips turned down in a deep frown.

  
“Perhaps we should look further ahead. We keep assuming them to be dead but they could have gotten away by now I’m sure.” X6 says walking off expecting the others to follow. “If we stick around not only will we not get to diamond city but we won’t find them either.”

  
The three set off, all with their mind set on finding the shoes owner no matter what.

  
It had been hours of walking it seemed to Shaun who was moving considerably slow in comparison to his abnormally energized companions, both scanning the area around them so carefully he was sure they could hear a pen drop a mile away.

  
Diamond city was close now, close enough that one knew that the walk was almost over.

  
“Nothing.” X9 observes turning down an alley.

  
“We can probably assume the worst or that they got into the city.” X6 adds quickening his pace. He was on edge. Something told him that she would be there, the traitor that had done this. He needed to see her now more than ever. Needed to see her in his hands, thin neck shattering in his grip. She needed to feel the collective grief of everyone she had hurt, every synth unit, gen one to three that she had blown up, of every scientist that would die or already had out in the commonwealth. His fingers twitch, the impulse to reach out and grab someone strong, but his self-control stronger.

  
“Were here.” X9 says as they round another corner the front gates into diamond city wide open for all to enter.

  
“Good, to see you mister,” a guard nearby says not looking to X6 but expecting he knows who he’s talking to.

  
“Likewise, have you seen my partner here recently?” He asks stepping forward to meet the man offering a hand, a gesture she had been trying to get him to practice more often. People were more trusting of a man with a firm handshake she had said. Be a little more kind to people she had said. He hated to refer to her as a partner and use her suggestions but they were effective when trying to keep a person from panicking in your presence it seemed. Seem more amicable she said, and that’s what he needed more than ever.

  
“Cant say I have, ain’t seen her this way in a hot minute. I can keep a lookout though if you need pal.” He says shaking his hand back and leaning to the side looking behind him to Shaun and X9.

  
“New pals?”

  
X6 only nods in response not really one for conversation.

  
“Thank you for keeping watch, can we go in?” Be polite she had told him and he took her advice as well as he could. He hated to admit it but at a time like this he needed friends now more than ever. This cities populace was never very willing to help strangers. If making friends with a guard meant he was a step closer to killing her then so be it.  
The guard nods, he had no reason not to let them in.

  
Inside their expressions sour, the overwhelming stench like a gust of air from a garbage heap. Shaun reaches up and covers his nose, there had been places that smelled bad but this was the absolute worst.

  
“Is this place covered in garbage or something?” Shaun asks and X6 has to nod. The place really was. The commonwealth was no place he could call anything but garbage.   
“Let’s just go, the house is in the middle of the market.” X6 says making his way down the stairs, he fumbles around his pocket looking for the houses key. When he finds it he grips it tight making his way past the many city vendors in an attempt to make his way to the house.

  
“Hello sir, you look like you could use a haircut!” And all three of them turn around not sure who it was this man was speaking to.  
“Me?” X9 asks knowing that he must have been the one he was referring to. His hair was quite frankly an atrocious mess. Anyone who looked at him could see that.  
“Yeah you, I got just the style in mind, I’m thinking-“ The man begins but X6 cuts him off.

  
“We have no caps, pester someone else john.” And just like that he goes quiet, apologizing for the bother and returning to conversation with those around him.

 

X6 unlocks the door and lets himself inside, the lights off and the radio playing a song by the singer in Goodneighbor, the smooth jazzy tune bringing a smile to Shaun’s lips.  
“She sounds so nice.” Shaun walks in behind x6 and flips on the lights, the empty house covered in paper and clutter just as X6 had remembered it.

  
“She’s a hassle and kept us from getting work done.” X6 grumbles remembering Magnolia. He had been ditched the night the former director had met her, He was disgusted and his memory of the night was making him want to claw the memory from his head. He had known exactly what her intentions with Magnolia were and was annoyed when she decided that she would not send him away to do as he pleased and requested instead he wait in hotel Rexford’s lobby.

  
“So this is where she lives? I must say, if this is what she wanted instead of the quality living she had within the institute…” X9 trails off, running his hand over a table, dust sticking to his gloveless fingers.

  
“She has never been one to make sense, I don’t know why it took me until now to realize that.” He had been feeling guilty for quite a while now but saying nothing. If he had been able to stop her sooner then none of this would be happening. Today would be another normal day of synth retention and work. There would be no worries about what scientist may or may not be dead.

  
“So, first things first. We need to get ammo, second, we need to check the city for-“

  
Loud thunder booms outside cutting X6 off. Shaun screams and jumps into X9’s arms unsure of what it was he just heard.

  
“Did they just explode something?!” Shaun cries and wraps his arms tight around X9s neck.

  
“Its thunder, it rains up here occasionally. Thunder happens but it is harmless.” X9 pries the boy from around him and sets him down on a couch.

  
“It is loud but nothing to worry about.” It had almost slipped both coursers minds that this was the boys first time on the surface and first time experiencing thunder.  
“If you say so,” He was not too convinced but he didn’t think that X9 of all people would lie to him. He clutched a pillow sitting on the couch to his chest, brows furrowed.  
X6 heads up the stairs to a large dresser sitting at the top and pulls it open tossing a grey suit at X9.

  
“Put that on. The uniforms might get us unnecessary attention.” X6 digs around more and tosses a t shirt and bed sheet at Shaun.

  
“And you, you’re probably tired, come up here and get some sleep.” It was around time for night to start falling now. He didn’t want to take the kid shopping and knew he could use some rest. Or at least he knew the child was programed to think he needed it. There was not a single synth alive that genuinely needed sleep as far as he knew.

  
“Yes sir, thank you sir.” Shaun climbs the stairs and steps over to the bed, there was a curtain hanging around it that he pulled closed to get changed behind.

* * *

  
X9 was changed into the suit X6 had given him. Rain pours down on him in the market place but with nothing to keep it off he endured with X6 at his side. X6 wore a black suit himself minus the jacket and tie that went with it.

  
Not much for bartering X9 leans on a wall nearby waiting for X6 to finish his shopping, looking down at his nails with nothing better to do. He hated times like this, when he had no other responsibilities to attend to. He had never had time like this before and it left him to wallow in thoughts he had no interest in mulling over. He could go buy food while X6 was busy with ammo, the child needed to eat it seemed.

  
How exactly did he feel about the institute’s destruction? If he had asked himself this when Z2 was still at his side he may have said he was glad in a way. Their secret had always been a risky one too keep, and had they still been together then a time like this would have been devastating yet but they would have one another to lean on. He was with two units now, both useful and capable in their own rights. There was nothing between them however, they were not friends. They were just teammates who could care less about being any more support than a gun or a repaired item.

  
He cast a glance over to X6 who was arguing quietly with the weapon salesman. How did he feel about this unit? So far there was not much to say. He hardly knew him. He had known of him long ago when things like synth retention were still relevant but whatever this man was without all of that he had no idea. This unit was not a friend. He was no enemy, but as far as he could tell the unit planned to keep it that way.

  
He sighs, rolls his neck, and looks around. He hated this, this feeling of existing without some immediate goal he should be working towards. If he couldn’t get that from the institute then he had no choice but to choose his own.

  
“Hey,” He leans over and taps X6’s shoulder.

  
“What?”

  
“Kellogg’s house. Do you have a key for that too?” X9 asks and X6 nods holding up a finger to tell his salesman that he needed a moment.

  
“There should be spare ammo sitting in the hidden room. Just push the button under the desk.” He whispers and X9 nods. Discreetly X6 drops the key into his hand and send him off.

  
“You know where it is right?”

  
“Yes.” X9 replies and heads off. It would be a short walk if he remembered correctly. He goes out past john at the salon who once again gave a friendly wave. Not knowing exactly why X9 simply nods in response and makes his turn down the alley. It lead him down another street and towards what he could see clearly was the valentine detective agency from the eyesore signs.

  
He squints and makes his way forward not wanting to stick around much longer.

  
“Hm,” His mind strays to the times before this, his first time in diamond city. The surprise that came with seeing so much open space at once. So much open sky. He looks up and then back down not wanting rain water in his eyes. There was no limit now to where he could go and to some that would have been quite a great deal.

  
He turns and makes his way up the stairs. This was no blessing. If anything it was more of a curse than anything else, trapped in the rusting cage that was this doomed planet with nothing outside but the promise of certain death among the stars.

  
He puts the key in the door to Kellogg’s place, attention on the comparison he had made in his head. It was quite nice if he should have said so himself.

  
“Hey, wait up!” A voice calls out from behind before he can enter. He turns around, the voice not familiar at all, he had no clue why anyone in the city would be speaking to him.

  
“Yes?” He asks hoping that perhaps he had been mistaken for someone else ensuring they would leave him be quickly.

  
“You’re the one who just came in with the kid and the other guy right? The one in the sunglasses.” The person was a woman, short and unusually clean despite the dirty clothes she wore.

  
“The mayor wants to see you,” She pauses and looks around. “Unit.” She mumbles hoping that he would understand what she was trying to say.

  
“You were there?” X9 asks. “What’s your designation?”

  
“F2-22 sir, I was one of the few synth units that escaped. I only look like this because I changed my clothes on the way to diamond city.” She answers and a particular shoe comes to mind.

  
“Did you leave behind a shoe on the way here?”

  
“Oh um, yes both of them sir. I couldn’t walk around in my clean clothes, I would stand out too much, you understand right?”

  
X9 sighs a sigh of relief. The missing shoe was just a unit tossing away her institute clothing to fit in. No confirmed injury to any institute personnel.

  
“Walk with me.” X9 says putting the keys to the house back into his pocket and turning around. “I can look around later, if the mayor sent you for me then I want you to join me.”

  
“Of course!” She turns around to follow after him a small smile on her lips. She wouldn’t say it but she was hoping to run into a courser, any unit would have done well enough and now knowing there were two in the city now put the girls mind at ease.

* * *

  
When they reach the elevator X9 looks up at the device with unmistakable trepidation. It looked weak, he doubted that both would be able to ride even when she insisted that the machine was more than capable.

  
“Don’t worry about it! It carried me and the others just fine.” She tells him, stepping onto the machine and offering a hand.

  
That was new, did she assume he was scared? It was not insulting, even he, a courser had good reason to be at least a bit scared of the future ahead of them. The oddity of the situation was that she had taken time to actually acknowledge that fact. Not in the most appropriate of situations considering he was more mildly uneasy than scared but it had happened all the same.

  
“I’m fine,” He steps on ignoring her extended hand to stand at the other end of the elevator, away from her. There was some unspoken rule hammered into his brain from his days as a courser to be sure he was the one that appeared in control of the situation. That nothing could shake him or his team so long as they stayed with him. He crosses his arms and looks up, looking down would only make him more nervous than necessary. The height was no problem but faulty machinery had always been a personal fear of his. He jumps when the elevator shakes too hard on the way up, wanting to kiss the ground when it was finally all the way up.

  
“Were here,” F2 announces walking past Geneva’s desk and into the next room through large double doors.

  
Inside sat many units of every generation and a few surviving humans here and there. Some of the units were clearly living in the commonwealth before this, working as infiltration units most likely. Some were sobbing, some staring off into the distance at absolutely nothing. Some arguing and talking. Gen twos and ones stood idle waiting for orders like always.

  
“Another courser.” One unit sitting on the floor with her back to the wall announces and the room becomes quieter than before.

  
“That’s three.” A teen girl calls out from across the room. She was a human clearly as no teen synths existed yet.

  
“Huh…” X9 scolds himself internally. Yet. There was no yet. There would never be another synth made.

Still, the girls comment was one worth questioning. He only knew of one unit, X6-88 being in town with him.

  
“Who are the other two courser units?” X9 inquires and another unit speaks up.

  
“They were both talking to the mayor, X6-88 and Z2-47. They-“ Before they can finish the sentence X9 runs off around the corner towards the room at the end of the hall, slams the door open and looks around expecting to see him. When he finds only X6 and Shaun standing side by side speaking with Mcdonough he feels his spirits drop fast.

  
“Oh,” He says adjusting his voice to something more suited to the indoor location. He had been so ready to yell that his words come out as a sort of choke that he covers up with a cleared throat directly afterwards. “Oh,” He says again in a clearer voice banging his fist to his chest as though he had accidentally choked. “You two are here, what’s going on?” He says stepping in quietly shutting the door behind him.

  
“I was told Z2-47 was in here, but it seems I was misinformed.” He tries, tries with every fiber of his being to avoid sounding let down but can’t help but notice his failure when he finishes his sentence.

  
“What have I missed?” He concludes.

  
“Z2-47 was here,” X6 tells him pointing out to the hallway. “He should be back in a moment, he was sent out to find you along with a few other units.”

  
The man has no idea about the effects of his words on X9, his heart beating fast a smile threatening to surface on his face. “I’ll go find him, I’ll be back just-“

  
X6 cuts him off, head tilted. “And why would you do that? He’s coming back. You’ll only make it harder for all three of us to be in here together at once, I insist that you say where you are.”

  
If he had to wait another second he feared he would implode, the need to see z2 alive and well was stronger than almost anything else in him right now.

  
“Very well. I’ll go speak to the others,” He says intending to leave the moment he hits the hallway.

  
“No. were needed in here.” X6 reminds him.

  
“Not even a minute to see who else is here can be spared?” This was beginning to feel more and more like torture as each second ticked by. He was the only one in the room who had not seen Z2 yet and considering their friendship found that fact quite annoying.

He resists the urge to laugh at himself. the use of the word friendship in his mind was tickling. Love was a far better word, but it was not the word he would be using with anyone in this room.

  
“No.”  
The two glare at one another. X9 was sure now that this unit was intentionally hindering him for some reason other than being needed. What that reason was he did not however and decided that he could not say that without proof.

  
“Alright I can stay, but what are we needed in here right now for?” X9 inquires and Mcdonough clasps his hands together.

  
“Ah yes, I was just about to get to that!” The mayor begins walking over to the desk sitting in the middle of the room fumbling around inside a drawer.

“It’s about the home you have taken residence in. As much as I dislike what the director has done she owns it and I cannot allow you to live there.” He tells them looking at keys he was pulling out one by one much to X9s displeasure. He tapped his foot, looking impatiently to the door wanting to go find the one person who he wanted to see now more than anything else in this world. He did not care if he was coming back, it was too long a wait already.

  
“So,” the mayor drops another key.

  
“I’m giving you free reign over Kellogg’s home for as long as you need. Those who can’t fit into the home will be given rooms at the dugout inn until better arrangements can be made.” He smiles at one key in his hand and tosses it up few times before walking over to hand it over to X6 knowing that X9 already had his own set.  
“I’m going to need your help to get everyone situated into the hotel until they can be sent off.”

  
X9 arches a brow. “Sent off? Why sent off? Why can’t they stay here?” He had no intention of taking this units orders but asked anyways.

  
“They are synths, with the institute gone many residents of this city are sure that plenty are going to try and run here. If anything were to happen to them...” He does not say the rest. It was clear to everyone in the room what would happen should anyone find out.

  
“Ah,” That made sense. “So they can’t stay long.” His mind was quickly on figuring out where to take them. With the institute gone there were not many places that came to mind as a safe place to call their home.

  
“People would become suspicious, and at a time like this the resulting uproar would without a doubt end in violence.”

  
“It’s so sad.” The three adults in the room had almost forgotten Shaun was even there until he spoke up. Mayor Mcdonough sets a hand on the boys head. X6 had told him everything and felt bad for the poor child. Synth or not no child deserved to hear anything like what he had from the woman he thought was his mother.  
“Indeed it is, but that’s how the commonwealth can be my boy.”

  
X9 nods in agreement but was now on the edge of his seat. “What is taking him so long?” He grumbles.

  
“If I can’t go can we not send someone to find him?” He was tired of waiting. He was almost at his limit and would be throwing his concern for what the others were saying out of the window soon.

  
“Why are you so impatient?” X6 asks and had X9 been feeling so inclined he would have rolled his eyes.

  
“He’s supposed to be here helping us. I don’t like being forced to wait.”

  
X6 says nothing, he stares at him and the thoughts he had put aside in greentech were now coming back. There was something more to his impatience than this.  
X9 looks away from his gaze feeling the weight of judgement on him. “....What?”

  
“It’s nothing.” X6 assures him. He could address this at a later time. For now there was more important business to attend to.  
“Then stop staring at me.” X9 spits and X6 nods.

  
Shaun watched the two of them, worry and fear on his face and in his synthetic heart. “Are you two ok?” He asks not understanding the sudden rise in hostility form the one unit he had looked to as the more level headed of the two. X9 was not himself and seeing that so clearly was unnerving to the young boy.

  
“I am.” X9 says turning on his heel heading towards the door.

 

“Affirmative.” X6 would not stop him, not this time.

  
Even if they said things were fine the thick tension that filled the room was too apparent to not notice. “Please don’t fight. Were all on the same team.” He reminds them of what they were here for hoping that perhaps that would fix things but X9 kept walking proving his efforts pointless.

  
“Indeed we are Shaun.” Mayor Mcdonough says with a friendly smile walking over to close and lock the desk.

  
“But still,” He observes aloud watching X9 leave.

  
“He is taking quite a long time.”

  
X6 shrugs and watches the double doors close behind X9.

  
“That’s irrelevant. We have work to do.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wwwoooooo howdy remember that tag that mentioned torture??? haha,, well,,,,heres that chapter,,,if you dont wanna see anything like that with nat and piper suffering momentarily,,,well its just a cut up finger really,,,,then this might be where you wanna,,,you know,,,stop... the rest of this story wont have anything like this thoug h so hey,,,,,,

“The rain is slowing down.” Shaun announces to X6 and mayor on the elevator ride down.

  
“And it’s a good thing it is, I don’t want any of our new friends getting sick out in the weather.” Mayor says reaching out a hand to feel to small drizzle landing on his fingers. When Shaun sees him do this he mimics the motion.

  
“About the director,” X6 begins trying to get mayors attention. “If you could tell me about anyone living here that could help me get to them that would help.”

The elevator comes to a stop and the three of them step off into the group of synths and scientist standing about waiting for relocation. Worried mumbles and whispers float about the crowd until X6 raises a hand to halt them. They all turn to look at him waiting for his orders. Looking at the few remaining scientist in the crowd was a bit unnerving. He never expected he would have any of them looking at him like this, lost and confused waiting to have him answer their question and order them about. “Those of you standing to the right, follow me, all else, follow mayor.” He shouts and everyone parts ways.

  
“So they’re all gonna get crammed into Kellogg’s house sir?” Shaun asks walking to catch up with the courser unit walking away.

  
“they’re all human and a few units to take care of them, I think they can stay there until better accommodations are made.”

  
“But that’s not enough room for everyone to sleep is it?”

  
“Synth units require no sleep.” X6 says matter-of-factly not wanting to be having this conversation at all but deciding that telling the child to simply shut up was a bit too harsh even for himself.

  
“Oh.” Shaun quiets down and slows his pace to walk alongside the others asking a few people if they were ok.

  
“We’re trying dear.” He recognized her from advanced systems. Rosalind something he thinks. She looked tired, tired and on edge. Her eyes were on everything, the others around her, the city, and each door, like she was waiting for someone to pop out and grab her at any second.

  
“Well mister X6 is really smart and really strong so, I promise he’s going to try his best to make things better.” Shaun says slowing even more. She was distracted and conversation was pointless.

* * *

  
Nowhere near the wall, nowhere near the city entrance, and nowhere to be seen in the market. X9 looks around where he stands, a small alley in front of the valentine detective agency. Which way had he not already gone? There were plenty of places he could have looked he was sure. Still the fact that he had not run into Z2 by accident at least was beginning to bother him. Diamond city was not so big that he should be having this much trouble.

  
He sets off again this time in the direction of the dugout inn ready to search in there and see how X6 was doing with surviving units. On his way he walks past john again casting a quick glance at the man. He smiles and nods at X9 waving. He had no reason left to speak to him knowing he was broke and wouldn’t be able to afford a haircut.  
A haircut was exactly what he needed, thinking about the look Z2 would give him when they finally met up again only inspired him to move faster. He pushes open the inns door and walks down the hall, the sound of the owner rambling on about something growing louder as he approached. He could see upon closer inspection that he was speaking to a rather annoyed looking X6-88 who was trying to sort people out rather than entertain any sort of conversation.

  
“Yo,” X9 calls out thinking better of shouting the others designation in the middle of a crowd. “How’s it going?” He asks approaching and looking around at surviving units crowded around tables or being sent off to rooms in the back.

  
“Everyone is getting settled. The mayor took a group to Kellogg’s house and offered us a place in another home nearby here. It belonged to the cities facial reconstruction surgeon before his death. I doubt we will be there long.” He answers without looking to him. He was watching everyone else keeping track of any and everything happening inside.

  
“Very well,” X9 too looks around. Everyone seemed fine as far as he could tell. Fine as a bunch of people who had lost their homes could be. No one was giving them the looks of suspicion he had expected from citizens of diamond city at least and that was a gift all on its own.

  
“I can’t find Z anywhere.” X9 finally admits with arms crossed. It was distressing and as much as he wanted to act as though he was not at all bothered for the reasons he assumed X6 was assuming X6 was again noticing the way he averted his eyes and frowned involuntarily at the mentioning of this particular unit. Still, he should have run into Z2 by now, he had no reason to not have met up with the rest of them at this point if all he was doing was looking for X9. He had even been told that if he could not find him after a good twenty minutes to return to the mayor’s office.

  
“Where have you looked?”

  
“Everywhere but here.” He was blatantly miserable when he spoke and X6 squints at the other behind thick black shades.

  
“Check out of town around the front gate, I have to look around for clues to the previous director’s location, if you can’t find him come back to me and we can both cover more ground trying to find him.” X6 tells him with his eyes on the crowd again now. No one seemed familiar, at least not for the right reasons. Plenty of these faces he had seen before but none of them would be of any use to him in finding the target he was looking for. He needed someone who knew them a little more personally than just having seen them once.

  
“I will,” X9 says heading back off. He makes his way out past the church only to be stopped by a little girl standing on a box.

  
“Here mister, read the paper. The commonwealth is safe again.” She says waving her messy looking newspaper in his direction.

  
“Uh, thank you.” He says taking the paper against his better judgement. “You wrote this yourself?” Looking over the first few sentences despite the fact that it seemed to be about the destruction just a walk away it was well written.

  
“No sir, my big sister. She came all the way back home to get to work to keep everyone in the loop about everything going on right under our noses.” She tells him.

  
“Hm…” The paper hurt to read and it wasn’t the bad print job. The boogeyman banished was written across the top in big black letters.

  
“We can have the future we all deserve…” He read the last line aloud earning him a smile from the girl.

  
“The commonwealth is gonna be a lot safer now, that’s what my sister and her friend say.” He does not see the look of confusion on her face when he clenches the paper in his fist and balls it up as he walks away.

* * *

  
Sobbing was all that the young synth could hear all around. The crying had started back in the mayors office and never stopped. When one person was finished another began it seemed. It was mostly humans however, the synths who seemed just on the verge of tears themselves were too busy comforting those humans who needed it.

  
“Where’s my mom?” Quentin Filmore shouts and no one has the heart to answer only tell him that things were going to be alright. That its ok to cry to them and hold him close.  
“My father,” Brendan Volkert mumbles in the corner sitting on a couch with Rosalind leaning on his shoulder.

  
The room was making him sad but he had to wait for X6-88 or X9-27 to return if he wanted to leave.

  
“…….” Shaun looks around, in all their despair no one was keeping a particularly close eye on him. No one but the few gen twos and threes that seemed to be staring blankly in his direction. He wanted to be somewhere else, anywhere but here.

  
He stands up making his way through the crowded home to the front door. No one stops him, no one had time right now to worry about one synth.

 

  
Outside the air is a lot less warm, probably because of the lack of being stuck in a room full of people. The house was nowhere near as suffocating the last time he had been there as it was now.

  
“Maybe because it was just me and Mister Kellogg,” the boy muses walking down the stairs and back into the city. He makes his way over to the wall where he knew the playground equipment stood. He wanted to see if he couldn’t do something about the loose screws he had heard of.

* * *

  
The commonwealth night was no comfort to the unit at diamond cities gate. He sits on his knees with his hands over his face, guards inside watch him with looks of pity not knowing that later on they would go home and celebrate the source of this strange man’s despair.  
He leans over, rubbing his eyes dry as quickly as he can.

  
“Why this?” His voice is a sob but he sounds more annoyed than anything else. These tears were an inconvenience to him and he wanted nothing to do with them.  
“Why has literally everyone but me seen him?” He asks no one in particular. There was no one nearby to ask as far as he was concerned.

  
“Uh,” He hears the voice of a guard nearby but does not turn around.

  
“Not really the time, I’m not in your city so let me be.” X9 chokes out between his hands that muffled his words greatly. He runs his hands up his face and through his hair as it was hanging in his face. It clung to his sweating forehead and as much as he wished to ignore it he was being told by his head that he would be doing otherwise.

  
“Damn it,” He says quietly wiping his hand down his face now, having regained his composure unsettlingly quick as far as the guards were concerned.

  
He was fine, as fine as he could be after running around to find someone that was supposed to be dead and seen by everyone but himself. The one who was supposed to be the closest to him.

  
“Uh pal?” The guard had stepped away from his post and stood a few steps away now.

  
“If you’re looking for someone…” The man begins but X9s unforgiving glare warns him to stop. His face was red still but all expression that he had worn moments ago were gone, tucked away for when he would need them again.

  
“N-never mind. Sorry to bother,” The man slips away and when he’s back at his post begins to shut the gates. He had never seen eyes so cold and decided that perhaps a man that dangerous needed to take some time cooling down on his own before reentering the city.

  
“Hold it,” A familiar voice calls from behind the closing gate. X6 walks out underneath the closing wall and comes to a stop at X9s side.

  
“Why are you on the ground?” He asks and the gates shut behind him with a loud clang that neither courser acknowledge.

  
“Just enjoying the scenery.” He tries to be sarcastic but his throat is so tight it’s clear to anyone, And X6 especially, that he was crying.

  
“Are you..?” He actually did not want to believe it was the case. The only time he had ever seen a courser cry was during training and himself once a long time ago. It did not happen very often.

  
“Yes, I am.” He says wiping his dripping eyes again, now laying on his side looking comically nonchalant despite the tears pouring from his eyes.

  
“I never quite understood why people would just cry harder when people asked them what was wrong or if they were crying.” He says rolling over to sit up and wipe his eyes again on his sleeve.

  
“Even now I do not know and its happening right now.” He chuckles but to X6 it’s a sob that urges him to step away.

  
“I cannot think of even one reason why that would be someone’s response, should they not be happy to have someone willing to help them solve their dilemmas?”

  
X6 shrugs. “I would not know, I have not cried for a very long time.” He could admit that much. There was no srb to report him to even if sometimes it still felt like there should be.

  
“You have cried?” And the genuine surprise in his voice comes as even more of a shock to X6.

  
“Do we not all shed a few tears during the training process?” He would not disclose everything about himself at once however.

  
“I…Well yes but,” X9 sniffles, wipes away a tear with his finger and crosses his arms across his chest and then his legs in front of him where he sat.

  
“I just thought you meant, over something else, or something more recent.” The unit confesses and X6 shrugs.

  
“I am a relatively young unit, I have not had many reasons to cry.” His throat feels like its being constricted from the inside, his eyes burn and he remembers the smoke rising in the distance from what was once his home.

  
“I find it pointless. It’s a waste of-“ He clears his throat and wants in that moment to punch X9 who looks up at him as though he knows exactly what’s going through his head. That he knows exactly how he feels. He does not and it angers him that he would even assume he did.

  
“…Time.” He finishes and then it hits him that this unit does know. More than anyone else in the commonwealth alive right now. The only other courser that arrived too late to save anyone and would have to live with that from now on. The only other courser that had encountered the Director on a mission and did not kill her when they had the chance it seemed.

  
“I agree with you, its quite distracting.” X9 says wiping his eyes once more then sighing.

 

“Can I confess something though?”

  
X6 nods wondering just what it was he wanted to say.

  
“You should try it, it feels like…” X9 stops to plan his words. “Being stabbed, but not quite as painful.”

  
“X9 that is they stupidest shit I have ever hear in my life.”  
“So it probably was,” X9 agrees.

  
“Probably.”

  
X9 shrugs. “It feels good, like weight being lifted off your shoulders. Weight you had become all but blind to.”

  
“I have no reason to cry, tears are a sign that a unit has become defective.” He had gone from having few to no reasons to cry when the idea of being defective was brought up.  
“And what is anyone going to do about that?”

  
X6 crosses his arms unwilling to answer.  
“All of us are going to fall into disrepair sooner or later and there’s no one left to fix that X6.” He shakes his head. “It’s very annoying.” He reaches in his pocket and reveals the newspaper he had balled up earlier that day to hand over to X6. “Like this. I think I’ve read it three times already and I can’t even begin to point out everything wrong with it.” A dry chuckle leaves him, a smile on his face that does not reach the eyes.

  
Not knowing what to expect X6 lifts his sunglasses to read the crumpled paper before him, his eyes growing wider with each word until His eyes water like X9s, his jaw clenched tight and shoulders rising and falling as he tried to keep his cool. The attempt was in vain however, he was absolutely livid.

  
”When did you get this?” X9 nearly growls clenching the paper tight in his fist.

  
“Earlier today, around three.” X9 answers pulling himself to his feet. “Why?”

  
X6 knows the only person who could have done this, he had met her a few times through their mutual teammate and now she was here.  
“Were going back inside, do you have any stealthboys?”

  
X9 nods, confused but sure that X6 would explain on the way to whatever he planned on attacking.  
“Plenty, lets go.” He needs no explaining.

* * *

 

It had taken a good long while to get security to open the gates back up. Still when it was finally open X6 seemed to move as though he were pulled by a magnetic force. He stops for nothing and when he reaches publick occurrences he stops to look to X9.

  
“There’s a woman living here. She probably knows where our target is and we need to get that information out of her by any means possible.”

  
X9 looks around, over to the box where the girl he had spoken to stood.

  
“Perhaps use the little girl?” He was sure that this must have been the girl’s home. It was never pleasant to hurt children but if it meant they were one step closer to the revenge X6 wanted then he would do as needed. No one else was giving him orders worth taking after all.

  
“Just as I was planning,” X6 says stepping away, out of sight of the guards lingering about. They stood tired, their eyes on the gate and anyone who may enter. Ducking into an alley and activating his stealthboy was no problem for X6 who urged X9 to do the same.

  
Getting the door open with a lock pick was easy enough for X6 but doing so quietly enough not to draw attention and quickly enough to get inside before the stealth boys effects wore off, was an entirely different story. Was it possible? Yes. Easy? Not as easy as he wished it were.

  
“Good.” He whispers when he hears the door click. “Let’s go. Be ready.” X6 warns and X9 knows he can’t see him do so but he nods. It was safe to assume that X9 would be doing his job.

  
Inside piper lies sleeping on the couch with her sister sleeping elsewhere out of sight. Being a heavy sleeper was no good quality for anyone living in the commonwealth and with great satisfaction at getting in undetected X6 and hands X9 a needle. Still, the sound of a door being opened in the middle of the night was not so easy for even the heaviest of sleepers to ignore for long. She groans, beginning to sit up slowly, groggy and disoriented after being woke from a comfortable dream.

  
“Syringer ammo. the woman,” X6 whispers creeping quickly past into the next room. He would take care of grabbing the child.

  
With no question X9 does as he is told, piper wakes up at the sound of a mans voice and looks around frantically for her attacker who for whatever reason is invisible. That was warning enough of foul play but this stab of a needle was enough to assure her that something dangerous she could not see was lurking about.

Her hand flies under her couch and fumbling around for the pistol she kept underneath.

  
“Who’s there come out!” She shouts jumping out of bed but jumping again when her sister screams.

  
“Nat!” She shouts but finds her mouth covered quickly from behind by large heavy hands. Without thinking she tries her hardest to shake out of this man’s grip, one of his hands over her mouth and the other now around her wrist. She panics, she was feeling weaker and weaker as each moment went by. She sinks her teeth into his hand but he does not flinch.

  
He was as solid as steel doors, nothing was going to be pushing him down any time soon.

  
“Piper!” Nat cries as an invisible force drags her out of the room by the arms. This force however becomes visible when his stealthboy wears off and with a muffled scream piper fights against the one holding her in place with a body as heavy as a bag of stones. Whatever it was the one holding her had stabbed her with it was really starting to take effect.

  
“Miss Wright.” X6 says with a terrifying calmness as his fingers wrap around the thin neck of the child in his grasp.

  
“Get your hands off my sister!” The hand over her mouth was removed and she had quite a few words for the man in front of her. “Get your hands off or I swear-“

  
“Swear what?” X6 says giving the girls neck a squeeze, not hard enough to injure her horribly yet. Still the girl screams and it was already very clear to X6 that guards were bound to hear them soon. He had no reason to make this quick however, anyone unfortunate enough to get inside would perish quickly so long as he was without the information he needed.

  
“The only thing you will do tonight is answer my questions.” He says reaching to a back pocket where a long hunting knife was stored.

  
“Or watch me remove this girls fingers until you decide to do so.” He says forcing Nat down onto her stomach, resting a foot on her back to keep her in place he reaches down to take her small delicate hands in his own. Her screaming means nothing to him as he slips the knife under her pinky finger. If he was going to get information then completely ruining her hand immediately would be a bad tactic. Go for a mostly useless finger first.

  
“You have one minute to start talking Wright. Where is the previous director?”

  
“Let my sister go you don’t need to do this X6 stop!” She wriggles around in X9s hold but her movements are so sluggish, so slow, that she can’t really make any difference.

  
“I don’t need to do anything if you answer my questions, I only need to know where the vault dwelling leader of yours is. Answer that and you and your sister will go free.” He holds Nat’s hand forward to show Piper how ready he was to cut off the first limb. His blade nicks skin and a drop of red rolls down the blade.

  
“Get off of me you creep let me go! Let me go!” Nat cries the sudden pain inspiring her to flail under his feet.

  
“You have 23 seconds to start speaking, and not about how I should stop, 16,” He counts off the time to remind her of the little time she had left to spare her sister this unneeded suffering.

  
“Piper please,” Nat screams, but quickly has her mouth covered. Like her sister she tries to bite him, sinking her teeth into his gloved hand in an attempt to stop him only to find out that her attack meant nothing to him. He made no sound, he did not flinch.

  
“11 seconds Wright.” But 11 quickly became 8. “I know you have a knack for talking yourself out of bad situations, one of your talents, but I can assure you that your quick thinking will do you no good here.” And the time was up.

  
“I will give you a few more seconds, only because I know you are quite dizzy, too dizzy to make decent choices in a situation as charged as this.” He yanks Nat up by the arm, dangling her over the ground as she kicks trying to get out of his grasp.

  
“Let my sister go X6, this is ridiculous, why would I know where she is? I got nothing to do with this, and neither does Nat!”

  
X6 chuckles, something piper had never heard him do but had been told by blue that it happened. Usually before doing something he probably shouldn’t be doing at all.

  
“And I suppose you expect me to pretend that that paper you wrote was done without the help of the vault dweller? You must not have heard what I said.” And now her time really was up. He presses the blade into the child’s finger, thumb forcing it through bone with great force. If no one had heard them yet he was shocked.

  
X9 looks away. There should have been someone coming and the fact that there was not was a bit strange to him. Did something else take priority over screaming children? Sobbing sisters?

  
“Stop just stop it stop! I’ll tell you just stop it!” Pipers voice is hoarse, her shrieks shrill and her heavy body suddenly pumped by the rush of adrenaline that fear had to offer.

  
“Very well.” X6 does not remove the blade, he holds it in place. “Talk.”

  
“She said before she dropped me off here she were headed to vault 88 she heard the signal on the radio and so she should be headed out there. If you had a radio then you could hear it. That’s all I know so let her go oh my god let her go!”

  
X6 looks to X9 who shrugs. “Vault 88 sounds like our next destination.” X9 says shoving piper to the floor. She lies there still and with tears streaming from her eyes.  
“It would seem that way.” X6 agrees dropping Nat to the ground and stabbing her arm with a stimpack. He had no reason to do so, leaving her to suffer would be far more within his usual way of operating.

  
“Thank you for your cooperation.” His words mean nothing, hold no real gratitude. “I will be seeing you around.” He walks for the door with X9 behind.

* * *

 

Outside the guards are all gone, sent away by the unit standing nearby. Mayor mcdonough waits outside at power noodles, a set of chopsticks in hand. He was eating nothing just tapping the counter of food stand.

Standing nearby Shaun speaks to the mister handy at diamond city surplus about getting supplies.

  
The screaming he had heard earlier was jarring, each cry making him wonder why the mayor had told the nearby guards to ignore it and why they were so willing to do so. Did they not like the people living in the building where the screams came from?

  
“Hm,” He says nothing to the mayor, the commonwealth was not like his own home it seemed. It was violent and without law.

  
Percy hands over the material he had wanted, a few gears and screws, wires and all kinds of tools. Then he handed over a box to carry it all in along with a bag for his back.

The last item the robot hands him is a bit startling and heavy in his hand. a gun, just a pipe gun really and a few bullets to put inside. He looks the thing over, eyes wide and looking already for points to improve.

  
“Thank you for shopping at diamond city surplus good sir, do come back soon!” The robot says cheerfully and Shaun smiles.

  
“No problem sir, I’ll be back soon!”

  
The door to the reporters house opens and two coursers step out. It is apparent on X6's face that he is pleased by whatever it is that had happened inside.

 

X9 looks indifferent, his eyes going back inside before looking forward to see the mayor sitting nearby.

"Ah, so it was you who did that," X9 observes and then nods.

"Were leaving." X6 announces and looks over to shaun who quickly approaches. "Are you coming with us or something?" He asks the boy who seems just as ready to head out as him.

 

"Yes! I can't stay here." Too many sobbing people for his taste really.

X6 nods, his eyes on the stairs to the exit. "Lets go then."


End file.
